2014 Image Competition

The International Association of Professional Birth Photographers is proud to announce the winners of our Image of the Year Competition. Thank you to each and every participant this year! Our competition was a huge success and over 1.8 million people, all across the world, witnessed the beauty of birth photography through your images. Our Judge panel had a very difficult job in narrowing down the winners this year! Winners were chosen on a point system and judged on technicality, emotionality and composition.

Thank you to our Judges, they did a wonderful job and we are appreciative of their time and efforts! And, of course, thank you to each and every person who took the time to vote for the People’s Choice Award!

Congratulations to all the winners!

1ST PLACE WINNER

“The emotion of this image is incredibly rich, powerful, beautiful and raw. His moment of awe. His becoming dad moment. I love the composition of the shot. Baby close. Cord intact and superbly prominent in the image. Dad in his full expression. No words….birth photography is doing amazing things for masculinity and fatherhood by shining a light on this space and these transformational moments for all of us to witness and learn from. Women need to see that birth can be this for men. Other men need to see that this can be birth for their brothers.” ~ Darren Mattock, Founder of Becoming Dad

2ND PLACE

“This photograph is such a specific photo; it’s a water birth, and it’s a family with a daughter, and it’s a daughter who wants to be in the water with her mama. But it is lovely beyond description. The look on her face, the intimacy she must feel and the comfort to be with her mother this way? It’s beautiful and touching. Her sibling is about to be born and she is right there in the thick of it!” ~ Mayim Bialik, Actress & Author

3RD PLACE

“This image runs away with me emotionally. It captures the ecstasy of birth, something we seldom see, and at the heart of birth. It shows us a mystery of our species, one that we need to be imprinted to. It has excellent composition, lighting and color. Just ecstatic mother and child in a once in a lifetime embrace.” ~ Peggy O’Mara, Author and Founder of Mothering.com

HONORABLE MENTION

“I tear up every time I look at this photo. It’s perfectly shot and tells the story of life. You can tell these grandparents hold their legacy within the birth of this little baby. This is just one of those photos that stays with you.” ~ Jen McLellan, Writer and Childbirth Educator

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

“I can’t even imagine how amazing it was for Leilani to be able to capture the rare moment of a baby being born completely in the caul. The image is beautiful, powerful, and such an incredible depiction of birth.” ~ Angie Arthur, Co-Founder I Heart Faces

Please note:

All images have been shared with the permission of the family and the photographer. Please respect their choice and copyright. Do not copy, print or save any of the images. You are, of course, welcome to share a link to this page if you wish.

JUDGES

Mayim Hoya Bialik

Mayim is currently seen starring on the CBS Chuck Lorre hit comedy “The Big Bang Theory”, where she plays the role of Amy Farrah Fowler (a role for which she received an Emmy nomination in 2012 and 2013 in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Category). The show has received multiple awards show nominations and critical acclaim over the past six seasons, including nominations for; Emmy’s, SAG Awards, and the Golden Globe’s. The show won the 2013 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Network TV Comedy.Bialik was born in San Diego, California to first generation Jewish American parents, documentary film makers and teachers. She played the young Bette Midler in “Beaches”, played the quirky Blossom Russo for 5 years on the NBC television sitcom “Blossom”, and also had guest roles on some of television’s most beloved shows of the 1980s and 1990s, such as “MacGuyver”, “Webster”, “Facts of Life”, and “Murphy Brown”. She also appeared in Woody Allen’s “Don’t Drink the Water” in 1994, HBO’s “Fat Actress”, and the HBO comedy series “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. Recent appearances include recurring roles on “Secret Life of the American Teenager” and Fox’s “’Til Death”. She has also been a guest on some of televisions biggest talk shows such as: “The View”, “The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson”, “Tonight Show”, “Conan”, “The Talk”, “The Queen Latifah Show”, among many others.

After “Blossom”, Bialik earned a BS from UCLA in 2000 in Neuroscience and Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and went on to the Ph.D. program in Neuroscience, also at UCLA. She completed her doctorate in the Fall of 2007, which examined Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in adolescents with Prader-Willi syndrome. She is currently the spokesperson for Texas Instruments, inspiring young women to engage in careers that involve STEM. In March 2012 Mayim released her first book on attachment parenting through Simon & Schuster titled “Beyond the Sling”. The book guides parents through the world of attachment parenting and includes quotes of support from Ricki Lake and Dr. William Sears who himself coined the term “attachment parenting.” She will release her second book titled “Mayim’s Vegan Table”, a Vegan family cookbook, February 2014 by Da Capo Press.

Bialik is a board member of a variety of Jewish philanthropic organizations and contributes to a variety of charitable organizations such as the Gift of Life Foundation, PETA, and many others. She writes weekly for the Jewish parenting site Kveller.com about her life as an observant Jewish actress and mother, studies weekly independently and through Partners in Torah, and speaks for a variety of organizations around the United States.

Jen McLellan is a writer and childbirth educator who advocates for plus size women. She promotes positive information to empower healthy decision-making during pregnancy. Within her blog, Plus Size Mommy Memoirs, she helps women to navigate the world of plus size pregnancy, shares tips for embracing your body, and laughs along with the adventures of motherhood. Jen is also a skilled patient advocate, professional speaker, wife, and mother to a charismatic 3 year old. You find her website at plussizebirth.com and on Facebook.

Angie Arthur

Angie Arthur is the co-founder of I Heart Faces and a professional photographer located in northeast Ohio who has been recognized by Parent Magazine as a top mom blogger for her website TheArthurClan.com. Angie is a busy wife and mom of four children and enjoys teaching others about photography through I Heart Faces and their photography workshops, conferences, and online classes. Her love of capturing her own children in photos is what sparked her passion for photography. After many years of learning about her camera and working in various photography niches, she now specializes in fusion photography for high school seniors, families and corporations in a new business that she just recently started, The Picture Show . You can follow her on Instagram and Facebook to see her latest work.

Sunday Tortelli

Sunday Tortelli serves as President on the DONA International Board of Directors. DONA International is the most respected doula training and certifying organization in the world. She lives in the Cleveland, Ohio area where she offers her services as childbirth educator, birth doula, birth doula trainer and lactation counselor. Visit DONA International’s web site at www.DONA.org and on Facebook.

Debra Pascali-Bonaro

Debra Pascali Bonaro has been featured on ABC’s 20/20, Good Morning Russia, The NBC Today Show, Discovery Health, in The New York Times, The LA Times, The UK Times as well as numerous Parenting and Health Magazines around the world. Debra is a pioneer in reminding humanity that birth can be full of pleasure and delight. Debra has trained thousands of doulas and birth professionals around the world in the practices of gentle birth support. Debra is the creator and director of Orgasmic Birth, a documentary that examines the intimate nature of birth, an everyday miracle. She sees the powerful role birth plays in women’s lives when they are permitted to experience it fully. Debra is a sought after inspirational speaker, chair of the International MotherBaby Childbirth Organization, member of the White Ribbon Alliance, Lamaze International childbirth educator, birth and postpartum doula trainer with DONA International, and co-author of the book Orgasmic Birth, Your Guide to a Safe, Satisfying and Pleasurable Birth Experience. Her newest baby that is due soon is an online childbirth class that will provide you the keys to move from pain to pleasure in childbirth and beyond.

Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN, is the founder of EvidenceBasedBirth.com, an internationally-known pregnancy and childbirth website. The mission of Evidence Based Birth is to help mothers and families find evidence-based care by taking research evidence out of medical journals and putting it into the hands of the public. In addition to being a prolific writer, researcher, and educator, Rebecca is mother to 3 small children and resides in Lexington, KY, with her husband Dan.

Darren Mattock

Darren Mattock is an Australian-based dad, passionate DADvocate and founder of Becoming Dad. His ground-breaking work is focused on engaging, educating and supporting expectant and new dads as they prepare for birth and the role of fatherhood. Darren also educates birth professionals on engaging and supporting expectant and new dads, co-facilitates birth preparation workshops for couples and is a huge fan of birth photography.You can find him on Becoming Dad and on Facebook.

Georgia Brizuela

Georgia Brizuela is a filmmaker & photographer, specialising in birth photography. She has co-written an instructional guide on birth photography for photographers alongside offering mentoring in the field. She lives on the Sunshine Coast, Australia with her husband balancing a business and 3 kiddos. In all the spare time she doesn’t have, Georgia maintains the blog Documenting Delight.

Jan Tritten

Jan Tritten is the founder, mother and editor-in-chief of Midwifery Today magazine and a midwife who was in active practice from 1977–1989. She became a midwife in 1977 after the powerful homebirth of one of her daughters. Her mission is to make loving midwifery care the norm for birthing women and their babies throughout the world. She does this by organizing Midwifery Today conferences around world as well as publishing the magazine. One of her favorite tasks is to look at photos of mothers and babies and births so she is honored to participate in this contest.

January Harshe

January Harshe is a mother to 5 children. With each of her birth experiences being different, she wanted to inform women of their birth options and then support them in their own individual choices. She started the Birth Without Fear Facebook page as an outlet for this passion in May 2010 and the Birth Without Fear Blog followed in October 2010. She now supports women through other social media outlets as well, such as Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. However, she also wanted to inspire, support and unify women in their communities. This is why she launched Birth Without Fear MeetUps and Conferences with the first conference being held in October 2013. After she saw the amazing connections and healing take place in Arlington, Texas, she knew she had to do it again. The MeetUps have begun with 7 scheduled cities in the U.S. for 2014 and a 2nd Annual Conference in the works. January’s passion is to support women on their journeys of womanhood, pregnancy, birth and motherhood with peace, love and healing.

Matt Rogalski, MD

Matthew Rogalski, MD is an OB-Gyn in Cumberland, Rhode Island. He received a B.S. in Biology and French at the University of Connecticut, followed by medical school at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. After medical school, having decided to specialize in Obstetrics and Gynecology, he did his residency at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. He now practices general Obstetrics and Gynecology in Northern RI where he lives with his wife, Amy, and their two children, Nolan and Layne and another on the way.

Jill Krause

Jill Krause is the voice behind BabyRabies.com, where she chronicles life after baby fever became baby rabies, leaving her with no choice but to become a mom. She’s now mother to three. Jill tries to write candidly, with a sense of humor about life as a mom. She also likes to focus on photography, and using it to document and share all the small and ordinary details of family life she knows she’ll miss the most 20 years from now. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest too.

Clair Dickson

Clair Dickson’s roots are in Missouri, but “where the Army sends them” is home to her family– her soldier husband and four children. She is the editor of The Creative Mama, a blog dedicated to encouraging women as they fulfill their many roles; especially their roles as mothers and artists. Clair is a volunteer photographer for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. Her experience includes time as an art teacher and a family portrait photographer. Faith, writing, photography, and mental health awareness and care are her passions. You can find her at www.thecreativemama.com and www.cgdickson.com.

Amanda Hardy Hillman, PhD. LPC, CD(DONA), ICCE

Amanda lives in Iowa and works part-time as an adjunct faculty member at Iowa State University. She is also a doula and childbirth educator. Additionally, she serves as a board member with ImprovingBirth.org and is the co-founder and president of Iowa Birth Organization. In a former life Amanda fancied herself a photographer and even got a few paying gigs along the way. In her spare time Amanda enjoys playing mom to two young sons and wife to a great guy!

Lyndsay is the founder of the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers. In addition to a thriving portrait and birth photography business, Life in Motion Photography, Lyndsay mentors birth photographers from around the world through her mentoring program, The Birth Experience. Lyndsay’s award winning work has been featured in many publications through the years and she’s done interviews with Yahoo News, the New York Times, Parenting Magazine, Baby Talk Magazine and various media news outlets around the world featuring birth photography. She resides in Austin, Texas with her husband and four children. You can find her on her blog and Facebook.